I am two! or: Veganniversary

On the second anniversary of my veganism – my veganniversary – I have been noticing how my understanding has changed since mid-September 2007, when I had a Skinny Bitch-inspired epiphany at my desk.

I have broadened, and somewhat deepened, my understanding of animal rights and welfarism; I have read and read about food equity and down-the-chain cruelties to humans and animals alike. I am better informed and more widely read – and so I suppose it is inevitable that I have noticed changes in how I feel.

I am, two years on, both more and less committed to mainstreaming. I began with the firm conviction that I would do best if I was open and calm, and I still believe wholeheartedly that if I am the only vegan many of my friends know, then the example I set is especially important. I can be most influential when I am most approachable. To this end, I try to be reasonable, rational and intelligent about my positions, and relaxed about social eatering situations. I try bring food to share, and not put my hosts out. I try to adopt an equitable discussion style and I believe very much that although I decry the happy meat-schmappy schmeat movement, that when someone is proud enough of the changes they have made in their lives to buy organic meat or free-range eggs, that I should tell them that I am proud of them too. I believe that to critique someone else’s choices in these situations is counter-productive and plain rude. When they are ready to talk more, I will be ready to talk with them.

I want veganism to become mainstream so that it is accessible and understandable, and a market force. I want veganism to be normalised and demystified and I want it to become as widespread as possible. I see this as the way in which what was originally such a tiny, fringe movement can spread its message and practices to people who may otherwise have no understanding or knowledge of what we do and why we do it.

But I have also noticed that I have developed a small resistance. I find it harder and harder to be silent and I find that my thoughts as I watch someone devour their meaty dinner are more and more filled with disbelief and frustration. I feel this more keenly and more often that I did two years ago. I am more aware, and I am more committed, and I think this has lowered my tolerance threshold.

I have also found friends. Through blogging, potlucking and writing I have found a whole community, spread beyond the Veganville of Brunswick to Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Chicago and those who I know only through their comments. I have found people who I both like and admire, and to meet people who you not only respect but whose company you enjoy is a pleasure.

Although my primary motivation is animals, I know and believe that I am also doing the right thing for the environment and for my health, and that sustains my belief in veganism as a lifestyle, not a diet like locavism or a practice like recycling. It is an everything. There is nothing that would make me want to go back, and there is nothing that would make me feel that I had to.

This is especially relevant as I look towards the next few years of my life which I hope will contain babies and little creatures running around a noisy house. I am certain that having a vegan pregnancy will only benefit both me and my baby, which stems from my deep conviction that a typical vegan diet is three quadzillion times better for you than a typical omnivorous one, and that a consciously healthy vegan diet (the one in which I give up BBQ shapes, beer, chips and spring rolls) will give me the healthiest pregnancy possible, and my babies the healthiest body and mind I can give.

I like to think that I spread a little understanding amongst those I know who don’t know any other vegans. If I can at least cause one omnivore to say to another “Oh, I know a vegan. She’s ok”, then I’ve done a little dance and made a little love, and next time, one omnivore might say to another “Oh, she’s not a pain in the arse”, and the time after that, one omnivore might say to another “I don’t agree with her, but maybe she’s got something sensible to say”, and the time after that, one omnivore might say to another “Let’s not order steak tonight”.

At least, I like to think that I debunk a stereotype. That is, there is a place for the peace-loving, mung-bean-eating, hemp-wearing, loopy-doopy hippie, and there is a place for the activist, militant ALF types. But their place is where they are, and my place is here.

I have never doubted nor wavered in my knowledge that this is it, forever.

Potluck at the T-House

After years of being a habitual potluck attendee (although I like the word 'attender' or 'attenderer' better), I have finally returned the favour to all my hosts (Emily, Michael and Cindy, Lidia although I didn't go, the Press Club, Kristy and Toby's Wedding etc) and hosted a potluck at the T-House.

The theme was 'new', as the T-House has recently been renovated and is therefore newish. The idea was to make a new recipe, use a new ingredient, try out a new gadget, or to recreate an old favourite. Experiment, my pretties!

We also welcomed 'new' guests - Steph and Danni who are new Melbournites (although we had already met them before when Cindy and Michael hosted an Indian potluck to meet them when they were visiting Melbourne earlier in the year, one which I slackly didn't blog about because I was so embarrassed that I didn't have a chance to make anything and that my contribution was a bag of Kettle crisps), and Anna who is a new vegan and blogger.

I made two new kinds of ice-cream from my new ice-cream maker, which I bought because after excitedly picking up "The Vegan Scoop" by Wheeler del Torro, I realised that I also needed an ice-cream maker to actually make the ice-cream in the book about making ice-cream. Yes.

I made peanut butter ice-cream, which is really just PB, soy milk, brown sugar and vanilla extract whizzed up (ie fat, fat, sugar and sugar), and a chocolate version with raspberry pieces. I also made vanilla and was going to turn it into vanilla with white chocolate chunks, but in a moment of forgetfulness I forgot to replace the freezing bowl in the freezer yesterday morning, meaning that I couldn't turn the chilled mixture into actual ice-cream this morning. I improvised, after a moment of unbecoming swearage, and made a banana, white chocolate, nutmeg and vanilla custardy mix.

I also made rice paper rolls, which I filled with vermicelli, cucumber, carrot, bean shoots, enoki mushrooms, and tofu that I had fried off in soy sauce. Rice paper rolls are ridiculously easy to make, but I still need to involve some Asian mint and make them a little prettier. Sometimes I think that my rice paper roll habit is just an excuse to wrap anything in lettuce with mint and dip it in chilli dark soy sauce.

Other savouries included a platter of delicious dips from Anna including olive and chickpea and a pesto; chorizo sausages from Kristy; and a light and fluffy cous cous salad by Lisa. An in-betweener that I would never have thought of but which was absolutely delicious was the watermelon, lime, chilli and coriander salad by Jo. Finally, Buzz made Cindy's magical sausage rolls to delight and acclaim, and as I write he is whipping up another batch for our dinner. The recipe is fantastic, but I also have to give snaps to his preparation. *edit! I rudely forgot Cindy's homemeade crackers and yummo dip, which I didn't snap, but which was eaten up PDQ.

The groaning savouries table.

The rush begins.

The lovely lady authoress.

Kristy's chorizo sausages, pre-cookering.

My blurry rice paper rolls with lettuce and mint. Yes, that is cos lettuce and normal mint. Let's not go there, sistah.

Jo's fantastic watermelon salad.

Anna's tasty dips.

A line up of likely suspects.

Sweets were equally as multitudinous. There was a kiwi sorbet from Toby; white chocolate and peanut cookies from Pip; adorable oaty-chocolate balls presented on a darling double-decker cake stand by Jo; a white chocolate risotto with apples from the ever-adventurous and always-successful Craig; lovely oaty biscuits by Lisa; chocolate balls also I think from Pip, or maybe Jo?; *Edit: Michael!; and gingerbread form Miss T Junior which she ironically presented in animal shapes.

A table about to get diabetes.

Craig's surprising but delicious white chocolate risotto.

My banana-white chocolate-nutmeg-vanilla-ice-cream-mix concoction.

Beautiful oat balls.

White chocolate and peanut cookies.

Lisa poses.


Sam was tuckered out at the end.



Also, it is my second Veganniversary on, putatively, Tuesday. Everybody dance.

September is my Veganniversary, although I’m not sure which date. As it’s past the 15th I’m just gonna say it’s happened. Happy birthday me!

At the London Vegan Festival we (me and the lovely, sane, totally non-fanatical and very cool zuzucooks, Pete F and lemon_spot from the PPK) were chatting about where we choose to draw the line in making our lives vegan. It is oft-repeated that in no way can we refrain absolutely at all times from harming animals – each time I drive my car I might roll over a bug, or have an insect hit my window; I feed meat to my cats and dog; I wear cotton and eat vegetables from fields where mice and insects live and might be killed in harvesting – in this way some harm is unavoidable. But where within the sphere of our own influence do I draw my line, balancing reality and reasonableness with a desire to cause as little harm as possible, comparing compassion with the possible?

I try to draw my line somewhere around the limits of what I know, what I can do, and what in my opinion strays far enough from the principle of ‘do no harm’ that pursuing it is futile and counter-productive. For example, I know that bread often contains dairy products, usually milk solids or whey. I know that it is likely that if I eat bread in a sandwich and I don’t know what brand of bread it is, that it is very possible that it won’t be vegan. I draw my line there.

However, I also know that some mono/diglycerides in bread have an animal origin. I find this stretch too far – I barely know what they are, let alone how to determine their origin from the packet. While I’ll happily assume that glycerin in soap and make-up is animal-derived, in this instance I think it’s beyond impractical and does nothing to help advance veganism. The same goes for whether the sugar in a product was processed with bone-char. Although when I buy sugar for cooking I buy a brand that I know is made without the bone-char, and I avoid beers which have been processed with milk and fish derivatives, questioning the process by which every single ingredient was manufactured is, to me, beyond what constitutes helpful and productive.

When eating in restaurants I conduct what I consider ‘due diligence’. I ask every question I can reasonably think of to determine if my meal is vegan. In Thai or Vietnamese restaurants I ask about fish and oyster sauce. I ask about eggs in pasta, pizza dough and veggie burgers. I never eat Hokkien noodles (again, the dreaded egg) or bread and have learnt to ask specifically about honey. Where’s the line? If I order vegetables and udon noodles in black bean sauce, I won’t insist that the waiter go and read the sauce bottle to find out if it’s got lactic acid in it. In that instance I think that I have done what is fair, reasonable and honest to ensure that I am avoiding cruelty. Sure, I would check the bottle in the supermarket if I were buying it. But in a restaurant, my sphere of influence is different and I don’t consider it bending any rules to try to ensure that I don’t ruin mine and everyone else’s night by being shrewish and hysterical. And with my sphere perhaps contracting in respect of what I can control about my food, it expands with what I can do to exemplify and explain veganism to the others sharing my table, which in my opinion is vitally important.

So am I being a bad vegan and compromising my beliefs for convenience? I don’t think so. My primary reason for being vegan is for the animals, not for my own health. Although I firmly believe that a non-animal diet is healthier and safer for humans and the planet, my prime driver is animal welfare and rights. In that way, if I inadvertently consume some lactic acid that my olives were preserved in, I don’t think I’ll suddenly develop a hideous disease. What I do think is that I don’t ever want to be ‘that’ vegan – the one who helps perpetuate the stereotype of the rabid irrational fanatic, unable to live in the real world or be around others. I would be doing more to turn peoples’ faces away from my real concern that helping demonstrate and facilitate a calm and genuine understanding of the issues. By being clear about what I will and won’t eat and the reasons why, coupled with the understanding that I must be able to work within the world to change it, I think the path I’ve chosen is balanced and productive.

I’d be interested to know where others draw their line – but ultimately we are all doing the best we can in the way we think is best.